Key Takeaways
- Craigslist remains one of the most cost effective, efficient marketing platforms that far too many investors aren’t taking advantage of.
- A propper Craigslist marketing campaign can simultaniously help you find new properties and sell current ones.
- Online real estate leads are more important to investors than ever before, and few platforms are easier to adopt than classified pages like Craigslist.
Today’s mot prolific marketers are more than aware of the power of online classified websites like Craigslist, and it’s time you were, too. If for nothing else, Craigslist real estate marketing isn’t just another lead generation tactic, but rather an integral component to a broader marketing funnel. While it’s not the only marketing strategy you should implement, it is an important one. That said, it’s in your best interest to know how to use it to your advantage. Not surprisingly, only those that know how to get leads from Craigslist will, well, boost their marketing performance.
If you want to generate more leads without spending a lot of time or money on your next campaign, Craigslist real estate marketing is for you. And if you are otherwise unaware of how to proceed doing so, may I recommend the following?
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7 Tips To Increase Your Online Real Estate Leads With Craigslist
Craigslist real estate marketing remains one of the best ways to generate online real estate leads. However, those valuable leads we all covet so much aren’t going to generate themselves; someone needs to get the ball rolling, and that someone is you.
If you are interested in generating more real estate leads through Craigslist, there are seven factors you should pay special considerations to:
1. Photos: There are so many Craigslist ads for real estate that investors are only hurting themselves if they don’t include photos. Real estate photography, for that matter, can go a long way in selling a property. People will only invest their time in looking at ads that give them enough info to make a decision. How else are they expected to follow through with your ad? Include as many high quality photos as you can, and you will see interest increase.
2. Categories: More experienced real estate marketers use as many categories as they can. Think about how you inject yourself into more categories. Think apts/housing, housing wanted, real estate for sale, rooms wanted, vacation rentals, temporary housing, jobs, household, services, discussion forums, community, and more. Go through each category and think about how you can post there. The more times you show up, the more likely you are to meet more prospects.
3. Trust: The biggest challenge with Craigslist is the lack of trust. People already have a healthy distrust of Realtors and real estate brokers. Adding Craigslist to the equation only dampens trust with ambiguity. Yet, one of the most significant ways that real estate investors do themselves an injustice on Craigslist is with ghost ads: fake photos that just take users to websites without any real listings. People are tired of their information being farmed. Yes, this can offer the promise of automation. However, if you aren’t automating any leads, then what’s the point? Why not just let people contact you through your ads? Be real and authentic.
4. Lower Barriers: Consumers, and even aspiring investors, are still paranoid and fearful of how difficult the process of buying property is. They have been slammed with negativity for at least seven years. Do what you can to reduce those mental barriers. Are you offering seller financing? Do you have lender contacts that you know will offer attractive financing on this property?
5. Reply: As crazy as it sounds, one of the biggest challenges individuals face today is real estate advertisers that don’t reply to leads. Very few bother. Not only does this mean you are wasting your time advertising, but it also means that hopeful homebuyers and sellers just get burned out with wasting their time and being ignored. You really never know who is on the other end. Attention and contacts are priceless, so don’t take them for granted. Even if this deal doesn’t look like a good match, do your best to reply. They might surprise you.
6. Follow Up: Maybe your current inventory isn’t a match, or they aren’t quite ready the first time you connect. Don’t give up, follow up. Follow up regularly with new opportunities, and be sure to nurture them. Put every lead you can into a long-term follow up lead nurturing and automated marketing system. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals either. Get email addresses, phone numbers, and social media profiles to tap each contact’s full sphere of connections, and follow up with them in their preferred medium.
7. Delegate: Craigslist marketing isn’t very hard, but it does take up some time. You can throw up a handful of ads each day in just a few minutes. However, if you really want to maximize results, it is going to take more time. Delegate ad creation to a freelance writer, posting to a virtual assistant, and response to an assistant that can evaluate and screen leads for you.
Best Craigslist Real Estate Ads
The best Craigslist real estate ads get a simple point across in a relatively short period of time. That said, here’s the perfect example:
Having A Hard Time Selling Your Property?
We buy houses no matter what the shape, size or condition is. We are the premier real estate buying company in (Your Area), and we can make you a cash offer for your home immediately!
Call (Your Name) @ (Your Number)
Or visit my website at (Your Website)
How To Generate Real Estate Leads On Craigslist
To generate real estate leads on Craigslist, you must first know how to draft a real estate ad. Below you will find each step associated with creating the perfect real estate ad for your next Craigslist post:
- Locate the Craigslist dedicated to your particular city.
- At the top left of the screen, click “post to classifieds.”
- Select the “housing wanted” option, and it’ll automatically take you to the next screen.
- Select the “real estate wanted” option.
- Choose from the list of locations that best fits your needs.
- Fill out the provided template, making sure to fill in all the green fields (which are required). For a better idea of what to include in the template, feel free to use the example we proved further down this page. Click continue at the bottom right to proceed.
- You will be given the option to include a map with the post, which I highly recommend doing.
- The next screen will allow you to add up to eight photos, so choose wisely — this will make or break your impression.
- Once you submit the information, Craigslist will send you an email to confirm whether or not you want to confirm the post.
- Click “continue” and proceed to confirm your post in the aforementioned email.
Craigslist real estate marketing is still a powerful tool for real estate investors. However, there is a lot that can be done to boost results, performance and ROI for those willing to make the effort. Have you had any great successes with online classified ads? What has and hasn’t worked for you?
